Monday, October 31, 2005

I didn't get much done on the new neckpiece this past week. I got sidetracked by other more pressing matters, like painting more watercolor and acrylic background papers to use in my collages and mixed media quilts. Anyway, I did at least decide upon a theme and color scheme, which is a good step (I hope!). The rest of this is just going to have to unfold in its own time. I'm not certain what comes next...

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

I feel quite revived from the torture of making the little teeney pouch and am now ready to start in on the next big neckpiece. I usually feel like I need to alternate between types of pieces, or else I get...I don't know, stale?

Anyway, I picked up this neato bead at the last show I went to. Yes, I know it looks like a huge cabochon, but it's actually drilled top to bottom. It was tempting to use it as some sort of choker-pendant, but I was afraid it would throttle whoever wore it! It's a heavy sucker :-)

For those who have asked in the past, I use the outer rim of a cd stack container to draw the inner edge of the neckpiece.

Monday, October 24, 2005

After getting lots of wonderful suggestions on how to finish off my little peyote pouch I finally chose to use garnet, brass, and crystals. Even the name for it was the suggestion of an online friend! It's such a tiny little thing that a couple of my first ideas just seemed too heavy. I'm really happy with the decision :-)

Friday, October 21, 2005

I got a great question on the little peyote pouch that I made ~ what is it used for? My answer was that, if you are me, absolutely nothing!! Some people use them to house a worry stone, lucky piece, or amulet, but this isn't my schtick. I simply like the way they look hanging around my neck :-)

I had two good suggestions so far for how to finish it off. Chain interspersed with crystals, or thin seedbead strands. I'm not sure that I can face any more of those teeny little seedbeads right now, so the chain suggestion is looking pretty good!

Thursday, October 20, 2005

I finished this teeny tiny little peyote pouch today. It took me all week, in between other projects, because I've started having problems with my close up vision, finally. I use one of those great OTT lights, otherwise I don't think I'd have been able to do it at all. This bag uses mostly vintage seed beads, the equivalent of #15's, and the whole thing is only one and a half inches tall, excluding the fringe.

How could such a tiny little thing take so long? :-)

I've got to decide what type of strand to put on it now ~ chain, beaded, cord, ??? Any suggestions?

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

I finally figured out what to do with the beautiful turquoise donut that I bought at the last bead and gem show. I've never really been a big fan of tassels, but when I saw the style that Angela Sawyer demonstrated in the October issue of Bead & Button, my heart went *zing*! I modified her instructions quite a bit to do my own tassel, but I still have to credit her with the idea. So if you don't like the way this looks, don't blame Angela ~ blame me!

Monday, October 10, 2005

I made this pendant from an old studio card shot of a girl with her beloved dogs. The card was scanned so that the original image wouldn't be damaged. Can you picture one of these featuring your sweetheart, child, or pet? Contact me to find out how!

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

There's a great set of directions in this October issue of Bead and Button for tubular peyote with a twist which allows it to remain rigid without any armature. The article is by Aleta Ford Baker. I tried a small segment, shown above, just to see if it truly would turn out rigid.

It does!

The directions are easy to follow, and mostly consist of alternating two different row patterns. Now that I've got the hang of it, I'll probably take this piece apart and redo it to correct for tension errors. This basic tube took me all of 20 minutes to feel really comfortable with it. An investment well worth it, I'd say :-)

Update 2014: Here is where you can purchase instructions for the Indespiral stitch directly from Aleta

Monday, October 03, 2005

Our son Nate is leaving tomorrow morning to return to Guatemala. That's him, in the white shirt, back row, right in the middle. He came home on Thursday, carrying two empty suitcases and a single change of clothing. Although Guatemala is spring-like all year round, it does alternate between early spring and late spring. When he originally went to the children's home this summer, it was the late spring weather. Now, however, it's getting cooler at night, and he was more than ready to collect the rest of his things.

Come on a journey through a bead and jewelry wonderland, where no item is considered too strange to use in making something ... especially if that item has a hole in it! All types of beads are welcomed and cherished here, and no techniques are off-limits. You'll be amazed and inspired by the handmade beaded jewelry and the bead embroidery that is being made today!